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Bye Weeks: N/A
Grab a Helmet
Chris
Givens v. SF: St. Louis hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since
the 2007 season when the venerable Torry Holt turned the trick.
They won’t have one this season either, though it seems they may
have found a couple guys capable of at least threatening that
mark in the next couple years. Danny Amendola is one of them,
of course, provided he ever manages to avoid the serious injuries
which continue to befall him. Chris Givens, a speed demon from
Wake Forest, is the other. Givens, like any rookie, has been very
erratic this season. He’s also been in hot water with Jeff Fisher
recently, the reason this will be his first matchup with San Fran
instead of his second. Nevertheless, the former Demon Deacon has
already demonstrated, in very short order, an uncanny ability
to get open deep at least once a game. His 21.7-yard per-grab
average, in fact, is the very best in the league through 12 weeks.
Start him – especially if Amendola sits – and hope for another
homer this Sunday against the Niners.
T.Y.
Hilton @ DET: Here’s another rookie with oodles of speed to
burn. I recommended Hilton on two separate occasions already this
year (Weeks 6 and 10) and he disappointed me both times. Apparently,
I was just a tad premature predicting his breakout. Even including
that Week 10 dud against the Jags (zero receptions), the former
Florida International sensation is averaging almost 60 receiving
yards and a score in his last four contests. He even added a bonus
score in the Week 12 win over Buffalo by taking a punt return
to the house, his first of two touchdowns on the day. I think
it’s safe to say Mr. Hilton’s breakout is officially happening
as we speak, albeit slightly behind schedule. Unless you’re loaded
at receiver already, you should probably be playing him against
Detroit this weekend.
Santana Moss' next TD will be his is 8th
of the season.
Santana
Moss or Pierre
Garcon v. NYG: I never get to talk about RGIII, an automatic
start, so let’s do the next best thing and talk about the guys he
plays catch with. Moss is the most experienced of Griffin’s wideouts
and, after a pretty slow start, has really emerged as a red-zone
threat for the Skins. He’s scored seven times this season despite
just 45 targets, a ratio (6.42 targets/score) that places him behind
only Donald Driver (6.0), Mohamed Sanu (6.25), and teammate Aldrick
Robinson (6.33) in my made-up efficiency rankings for receivers
who have scored more than once this year. Garcon, on the other hand,
can only be considered a general disappointment thus far, having
appeared in only 5 of Washington’s 11 games. You’ve gotta like what
he did in his last appearance, however (five grabs, 93 yards, and
a score against Dallas). In this “what have you done for me lately?”
league, that’s a good enough reason to give him a look on Monday
night. Start either of these two guys with confidence against the
Giants.
Grab Some Wood
Mike
Wallace @ BAL: This marks the third consecutive week I’ve
recommended a sit-down for Pittsburgh’s best receiver. The first
week, I didn’t trust his quarterback, Byron Leftwich. The second
week, I didn’t trust his other quarterback, Charlie Batch. This
week, I don’t trust his regular quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger,
who some say still has a chance to play this Sunday (I’m dubious).
If that’s not enough mistrust to go around, I should probably
mention the other person I don’t trust as the Steelers head toward
a Week 13 showdown with Baltimore: Wallace himself. Mike Tomlin
apparently demoted the former Mississippi star to co-starter status
with Emmanuel Sanders earlier this week, possibly as a way to
motivate him after a truly abominable Week 12 performance. That,
or there’s something ugly going on behind the scenes. In either
case, it’s probably not the best time to own Mr. Wallace and it’s
certainly not the best time to be counting on him. Steer clear…again.
Torrey
Smith v. PIT: I’ve already told you I don’t like Smith’s quarterback
in the aforementioned grudge match with the hated Steelers. This
is the reason I don’t like Smith: In three career starts against
Pittsburgh, he’s managed to snare only six passes on 17 total
targets for an average of 26.3 yards per contest. Yikes. If Smith
averaged that little against the rest of his opponents, he’d be
in the neighborhood of guys like Michael Jenkins, Earl Bennett,
and Harry Douglas in the overall receiver rankings. No offense
to those fine gentlemen, but…that’s a pretty shabby neighborhood.
Clearly, the Curtain has figured out a way to blunt Smith’s explosive
plays. Give him a rest this weekend if you can afford to. The
matchups get much, much better after this one.
Greg
Jennings v. MIN: My future brother-in-law allegedly uttered
the following words last Sunday night when he spied Jennings on
the Green Bay sideline during the massacre at MetLife Stadium:
“Greg Jennings is a good looking man.” Wellllll…alrighty
then. I can’t disagree, actually, but I can tell you what
makes him look even better: a green and gold uniform with the
#85 on it. What a trying year it’s been for Jennings’s
owners, present company included. It’s tempting to seize
upon this latest hopeful news (that he’s on track to play
this Sunday) by inserting him in your lineup. He OWES us, right?
Don’t do it. He hasn’t played in almost two months
and he wasn’t all that effective when he did (just 78 yards
on the entire season). He may indeed end up being relevant down
the fantasy stretch but we really need to make him prove it before
we start believing in him again.
Good luck, folks!
Quarterbacks 
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